Pallbearers wearing anti-bullying T-shirts carry the casket of Rebecca Sedwick,12, out of a funeral home last month in Bartow, Fla. / Brian Blanco, AP

by The Editorial Board, USATODAY

by The Editorial Board, USATODAY

Rebecca Ann Sedwick, 12, would probably say cyberbullying is relentless and inescapable - humiliation inflicted in front of an audience that spans the World Wide Web.

But she can't. Rebecca climbed to the top of a deserted silo near her Florida home last month and jumped to her death. She had texted a friend that she couldn't take it anymore.

Last week, the sheriff in Polk County, Fla., filed felony charges against the girls, 14 and 12, who allegedly taunted Rebecca. On social media, one called her ugly and told her to drink bleach and die.

The sheriff took some flak for criminalizing behavior that is as old as schoolyards, but changing times call for changing tactics.

Today's cyberbullying is more extreme than the bullying anyone over 30 remembers. Before such abuse went digital, victims at least had escape routes - at home, in an activity, or when they changed schools.

Now, every Facebook post or cellphone ping can carry taunts. Rebecca's ordeal went on for months. She was home-schooled for a time, then transferred to another school. The bullies followed on her smartphone.

While bullies of previous generations had limited audiences, digital humiliation gets vast exposure. It can't be erased, and it can be harnessed in ways bullies of another era never imagined.

In 2010, Rutgers freshman Dharun Ravi used a webcam to spy on his roommate, Tyler Clementi, in a tryst with another gay man. Ravi streamed it to a room where a half-dozen students watched. Three days later, Clementi jumped off the George Washington Bridge. Last year, Ravi was convicted for invasion of privacy, bias intimidation and other charges.

Parents remain the first line of defense against cyberbullying. Too many, however, ignore their children's online behavior, deny that their kids could be bullies, or are themselves models for this harmful behavior. The stepmother of the 14-year-old charged with bullying Rebecca was charged last week with child abuse over allegations that she punched two boys visiting her home.

Students themselves can have the biggest impact with a largely untapped approach: using the bullies' digital tools to shame them and defend their victims. In Hillsborough, Calif., freshman goalie Daniel Cui was bullied on Facebook in 2011 after allowing the winning goal in a major soccer game. His teammates rallied behind him, posting a photo of Cui making a huge save in another game.

Fighting back against bullies and denying them peer approval are the best antidotes. But when the standard remedies fail someone like Rebecca Sedwick, the use of criminal laws against stalking and harassment is fully justified.

USA TODAY's editorial opinions are decided by its Editorial Board, separate from the news staff. Most editorials are coupled with an opposing view - a unique USA TODAY feature.